Barrel-pitching machine.



No. 627,78l. Patented lune 27, I899.

' W. L. MILLER.

BARREL PITCHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 sheetsrsheet I.

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No. 627,78l. 4 I Patented lune 27, I899.

w. L. MILLER.

BARREL PITCHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2L A TTOHNE Y8:

we uonlls warms c0. Pno'wumm, wAsnmuTou u a NITED STATES PATENT. Erica.

WILLIAM L. MILLER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY TOROI-IIANI, OF-NEWV YORK, N. Y.

BARREL-PlTCHlN-G. MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 627,781, dated June 27, 189E).

' Application filed February 6, 1899. Serial No. 704,754. (No model.)

T0 at whom/ct may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAML; MILLER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New-' ark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pitching-Machines, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to an improved machine for pitching barrels of that type for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to Maximilian Guethler under date of December 22, 1896, No. 573,818, in which a pitch-reservoir is suspended Within a pitch-kettle and connected by-means of valves with a pipe for supplying compressed air whenever the pitch is to be discharged, avalve for supplying melted pitch from the kettle to tle, a reservoir suspended within said kettle and divided by a partition, valves for admitting melted pitch from the kettle to the reservoir, a pipe for supplying compressed air to the reservoir, and a four-way valve for opening or closing the compressed-air pipe and permitting the discharge of air from either compartment of the reservoir to the atmosphere.

The invention consists, further, of the special construction of the four-way valve employed, and, lastly, in a guard device located in the air supply and discharge pipe, which prevents the ingress of pitch into said air-' pipe, all as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the'claims.

In the-accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of myimproved machine for pitching barrels. Fig.-

2 is a vertical central section, drawn: on a larger scale, showing the means for supply-' ing air under pressure to the pitch-chambers,

said figure also showingthe guard devices for preventing the ingress of pitch into the airpipes; and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are horizontal sections through the four-way valve of the air supply and discharge pipes, showing the different positions assumed by the same in shutting oif the supply of compressed air or in permitting it to pass, to either one of the pitch-chambers for forcing the pitch in the same into the barrels to be pitched.

I Similar letters of reference indicate corre-. sponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a kettle for melting the pitch, which kettle is to be supported in a suitable furnace. The kettle A is provided with a cover A, on which are arranged two or more supports 0 for the kegs or barrels to be pitched. -Within the pitchket-tle A is suitably suspended a closed tank or reservoir D, which is divided by a partition ,1) into two compartments or chambers D D, so that one barrel at a time can be supplied with pitch from one of the compartments.

In the drawings the machine is shown for pitching two barrels alternately;- but it is obvious that the machine can also be arranged for pitching four or more barrels, in which case the pitch kettle and reservoir D are made correspondingly larger and divided by an ad- .connected by an air-pipe F with a four-way valve G, which is provided with a port f for 5 the ingress of compressed air and is connected with a compressed-air pipe G2 and with two ports f f at diametrically opposite points, which are'respectively connected with the air- Ipipes F F, leading to each one of the chambers D D and with anoutlet-port which is I divided by a partition f into two smaller ports f f so that both'chambers D D can be put in communication with the atmosphere at one and the same time when thespigot G of the four-way valveG is set in the position shown in Fig. 3, in which position "the compressedair port f is entirely closed and both small ports f -f are partly open, so that the air can escape from both chambers D D to the atmosphere.

The plug G is provided with a spindle, to the upper end of which is applied a lever G for operating the valve, said lever being so arranged that itindicates by its position which one of the barrels is being supplied with pitch.

Each compartment or chamber D D is further connected by an outlet-pipe H, which that is dropped through the bunghole of the to discharge its pitch, the valve is moved into barrel is returned into the pitch-kettle.

The valve-plug G is provided with concave side recesses, so that the horizontal section of the plug within the casing is of the form shown in Figs. 3 to 5--namely, provided with a large segmental portion 19 at that edge adjacent to the compressed-air port and with a narrow portion 19, but of larger size, however, than either one of the air-outlet ports f and of less size than the larger outlet-port formed by said small ports. This has the advantage that the air can be discharged from both chambers simultaneously when the supply of compressed air is entirely shut off, as in Fig. 3. When the left-hand chamber is filled and ready for discharging its pitch into the keg or barrel, the valve is set in the position shown in Fig. 4, so that the compressed air can act on the pitch in the left-hand c'ompartmentD?.

the position shown in Fig; 5, in which case the compressed air acts on the pitch in the right-hand chamber D so as to discharge it into the barrel to be pitched, while the lefthand chamber D communicates with the atmo sphere and is ready to be filled with pitch from the pitch-kettle. During the shifting of the plug G from the position shown in Fig. 4to that shown in Fig. 5 the compressedair supply is first shut off by the larger portion 19 of the spigot, whilethe narrower portion 19 when it has moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 permits the compressed air in the left-hand chamber to puif off to the atmosphere, and the pitch can then enter from v the pitch-kettle into the left-hand chamber charged for pitching the barrel. By the provision of the large outlet-port, which is divided into two smaller ports by its partition, and of the larger portion 29 of the plug the latter is adapted to be shifted from its intermediate position (shown in Fig. 3) and the compressed air admitted to either chamber. As the compressed-air port is closed by the said portion 1) in advance of the opening of the said outlet-port, there will be no shocks or concussions in the apparatus.

In each discharge-pipe F is arranged at its connection with the chambers D D a guard device I, the shank of which is supported in the ends of the air supply and discharge pipe F. The guard devices I are surrounded by casings I of larger diameter than the pipes F, so that when the compressed air is discharged from either one of the chambers D D no melted pitch can be carried along, as the same is retained. by the guard device and returned to the chamber. This prevents the clogging of the pipes F'by the melted pitch, as the same is returned partly by the guard device and partly by the casing which extends around the ends of the pipes F, as shown in Fig. 2. This arrangement of the guard device is an important feature, as thereby one of the objectionable features in pitching-machines, which was found out by practical use of the samenamely, the carrying along of melted pitch into the four-way valve by the escaping air under pressurefiis entirely avoided, and the air-pipes, as well as the four-way valve, are protected against ingress of pitch from the pitch-chambers.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as newand desire to secure byLetters Patent-- 1. The combination, with a pitch-kettle, of areservoir in the kettle and divided by a partition into compartments or chambers, a valve for each chamber, an air supply and discharge pipe connected with the top of each chamber, a compressed-air pipe connected with said airsupply pipes, a four-way valve connecting the .a reservoir or tank in the kettle, and divided by a partition into a number of compartments or chambers, a valve for each chamber, an air supply and discharge pipe connected with the top of each chamber, a compressed-air pipe, an air-outlet pipe, a four-way valve connecting the compressed-air pipe with the air supply and discharge pipes, and with the pipe leading to the atmosphere, the casing of the four-Way valve being provided with ports for the compressed-air pipe, and for each air supply and discharge pipe, and a double port'for the air-outlet pipe, means for setting the valve so as to supply either chamber with melted pitch, discharge the same, and reestablish atmospheric pressure therein, and means for conducting melted pitch to the barrel, substantially as set forth;

3. In a machine for pitching barrels, the combination,with a pitch-kettle for the melted pitch, and a tank or reservoir in the same, of

means for admitting the pitch to said reser- "oir, an air supply and discharge pipe con- 

